T-Bones, Tipples and Tango- Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 2008

Treated to Tango

I wouldn’t say I’m a foodie but I love to eat and will normally wolf down anything that comes my way, but nothing fails to excite me like steak and chips.  What more can you ask for than a thick piece of beef, rosy in the middle sat on a nest of thin and crispy fries to soak up all the juices.  If this is sounding like music to your ears then Buenos Aires is the city for you.  In fact even if steak is not your bag Buenos Aires is still the city for you as I guarantee if you’ve tried steak before but haven’t had the connection described above you just haven’t had the right steak and this is the land of the right steak.  We arrived after a 12 hour bus ride and as bus rides went it was pretty luxurious- Argentina is famous for first class overland travel and even if you’re 6 foot you can normally catch some Z’s.  The morning was clear but the streets empty so the taxi drive to the hostel felt like a private tour, colonial buildings with white detail on pastel painted plaster, lined wide tree planted boulevards.  It was like walking straight onto movie set for Dancing in the Rain aging tango posters peeling from the walls of alleys and cafes on every corner. The bustling morning crowd were sat in slivers of pale sunshine peaking round the corners of buildings, smoking cigarettes and sipping espressos. 

La Boca

After dumping our bags we headed out to explore, after the humidity of Brazil this cool, crisp weather was a relief and after wandering for a while you could mistakingly think you were in Paris in springtime.  A visit to the cemetery was spookily interesting, you can easily find yourself void of company, apart from the occasional cat, surrounded by towering mausoleums, some sombre and dark others intricately decorated with gilt cherubs all magnificent in their honouring of the dead.  La Boca, home of the world famous Boca Juniors, really captures the imagination.  The brightly painted wooden buildings looks like a town straight out of the wild west (if that particular one horse town happened to be owned by Willy Wonka) but with a sea side feel, I almost expected to see an olde English tea shoppe selling rock.  Here we were treated to live tango shows and artisan fairs.

Despite the bustling crowds we soon realised this was not a city that showed its true colours until after dark.  This was when the streets really came alive with live bands and artists, bars spilled out onto the streets and the hum of excited chatter was abundant.  And now finally to the steak…   we chose a restaurant off a quiet side street marked out with gilt calligraphy over the door frame.  The interior failed to disappoint and after a brief chat with the waiter we discovered it hadn’t changed since the 1900s.  Every inch of walls were covered in black and white photos documenting Buenos Aires through the last century.  We were seated, heavy candlesticks lit our quiet corner and thick napkins were swooshed professionally onto our laps.  Despite there being a vast array of choices on the menu I know what I’d come for- bife de chorizo- a thick cut of Argentinian beef, served rare with a bottle of silky Malbec from Mendoza and pile of salty fries.  The meat offered no resistance and the knife slid through revealing a blood red interior, no chewing just a glorious melt in the mouth in the mouth texture.  I had never tasted better and to this day have not been served anything that even compares.  Buenos Aires; a steak lovers paradise- vegetarians need not apply.